Together with the permeability, the solubility behaviour of drugs remains one of the most challenging aspects in formulation of a drug and it is a key determinant of its oral bioavailability. There have always been certain drugs for which solubility has presented a challenge to the development of a suitable formulation for oral administration (i.e. Rofecoxib, Itraconazole, Glipizide, Meloxicam, and Piroxicam). Solid dispersions are one of the most promising strategies to improve the oral bioavailability of poorly water soluble drugs. By reducing drug particle size to the absolute minimum, and hence improving drug wettability, bioavailability may be significantly improved. They are usually presented as amorphous products, mainly obtained by two major different methods, for example, melting and solvent evaporation. Recently, surfactants have been included to stabilize the formulations, thus avoiding drug recrystallization and potentiating their solubility. In this review, it is intended to discuss the recent advances related on the area of solid dispersions and the methods used for the characterization of solid dispersions.
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